The English colonists in Virginia at first tried to rename the Appomattox as the "Bristoll River", however this name did not catch on, while the native one did. There are numerous historical spelling variants, such as Apamatuck, Apamutiky, Appamattuck, Appomattake, and Apumetecs, among others.

The river is a popular destination for whitewater rafting and canoeing, particularly down stream of the small Abutment Dam (which is itself only a couple miles down stream of Chesdin Dam) in the village of Matoaca to Petersburg near Virginia State University.